FISH FINGERS AND A HANDFUL OF DIPS

Jo Pratt’s latest book, The Flexible Pescatarian, offers a variety of dishes with or without fish. Try these fishfingers with four dips, sure to suit the many tastes of most households.

When time is short (that’s most of the time then!) and I want a home cooked, nutritious meal for all the family, this is often my go-to recipe. It uses accessible ingredients, is really quick to prep and involves minimal washing up. Furthermore, you can cook them immediately or leave them in your fridge to cook later which means you can cook them to suit the various comings and goings in your house.
I’ve given you the Moroccan inspired recipe here but there are numerous flavour combinations to suit your family’s tastes or ingredient availability (see PS at the end of the recipe). Now my children are a bit bigger, I’ll make four parcels from this recipe, but you might find you can get six parcels if you have smaller tummies to fill. Cook them all and put any leftovers in the freezer for heating up another day.
The parcels work very well as a complete meal in one – so there’s no need to make extra side dishes. That said, some couscous, pasta, rice or crusty bread are always a welcome addition.

TIME TAKEN 30 minutes
SERVES 4

450g / 1 lb white fish, skinned

50g / 1¾ oz plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

100g / 4½ oz dried white breadcrumbs, ideally panko

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp flaked sea salt

olive oil, for frying

freshly ground black pepper

Cut the fish into finger-sized pieces.

Put the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into separate, shallow bowls. Mix the paprika, salt and a twist of pepper into the flour.

Lightly coat the fish in the flour, then egg, and finish with a coating of breadcrumbs.

To fry the fish fingers, pour in enough oil to cover the base of a frying pan and, when it’s hot, add the fish fingers.

Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crunchy. You may need to do this in a couple of batches as it’s best not to overcrowd the pan.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve with your chosen dips.

Alternatively, you can bake the fish fingers by putting them on an oiled baking tray and drizzling or spraying with oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas 6 for 6 minutes on each side.

COCKTAIL DIP

TIME TAKEN 5 minutes
SERVES 4

100ml / 3½ fl oz mayonnaise

4 tbsp tomato ketchup

juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

few drops of Tabasco sauce

½ tsp paprika

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix everything together and transfer to a serving dish.

PEA AND MINT DIP

TIME TAKEN 5 minutes
SERVES 4

150g / 5½ oz frozen peas, defrosted

4 tbsp crème fraîche

small handful of mint leaves

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the peas in a food processor and briefly blitz before adding the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and transfer to a serving bowl.

OLIVE OIL HOLLANDAISE DIP

TIME TAKEN 10 minutes
SERVES 4

175ml / 6 fl oz olive oil

finely grated zest of ½ lemon

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp water

pinch of cayenne pepper

flaked sea salt

Warm the olive oil and lemon zest in a small pan until just tepid.

Place the egg yolks, lemon juice and water in a medium heatproof bowl. Stand the bowl in a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until the mixture thickens just enough to form ribbons when the whisk is lifted.

Remove the bowl from the pan and slowly pour the warm oil into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to give you a dipping sauce consistency.
Season with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Keep covered until needed.

WASABI AND LIME MAYO

TIME TAKEN 5 minutes
SERVES 4

125ml / 4 fl oz mayonnaise

1 tbsp wasabi

2 tsp lime juice

Mix the wasabi and lime into the mayonnaise and transfer to a serving bowl.